Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-05-06
THE UNIVERSITY oFEL AFFAIR
Number ofRev. Theodore A. HopItins's
Letters from Abroad.
Especial Correspondence of the Free Press.1

Letters from Abroad.
Especial Correspondence of the Free Press
CAIRO, Egypt, March 26, 1887.
Pursuant to my promise in my last,
now write short description of the most
influential institution in the Mohamme
dan world. We all know how exalted an
idea we ourselves cherish of university
with its Libraries, buildings, dormitories
refectories, professors houses, curriculum
OF classical and scientific studies text
books, apparatus moral and religious
tone and training; the social position OF
its students, its president, corps of pro
fessors and faculty, in whose hands is the
government also its promise to the young
for their elevation, and where long
course of years of success has been Sc
cured in its career, we not only re-
spect, but revere it, and call it our dear
mother, "Alma Mater"
Well, now, to try FL Azhar by this stan.
dard let us see how how we find 1t. In
the first place the very constitution of a
Musselman community, whether Arab,
or Syrian, or Turk, or West African or
Indian CEIindoostanee), or Kurd or Berber.
or East African or Egyptian, rests upon
the sheik of the village, or of the ward of
the town or village. There may be several
sheiks shakes in town. The office il
one of hOnor and some emolument. Gov.
eminent usually collects taxes and levies
troops of laborers through the sheik
Now the chief function of Azhar is to edu-
cate young men to become the sheik. 1t
is open to any young man to aspire to be
Il sheik, if he will only 90 to FL Azhar, and
thprp a nj a..
least three years. and NAV take six The
guide book says that 10000 students at
tend, most of them having come on foot,
and gathered from all Mobammedan
countries throughout Asia and Africa and
Turkey in Europe The University has
been prosperous since A. D. 99G or for sol
years. We visited it yesterday with our
dragoman Mustapha. We found ourselves
first in an open court about 400 feet
square. The whole surface of the ground
was covered with students squattlng or
lying down, each with an Arabic grammar
or reader or Koran in his hand, and all
were committing their lessons to memory
aloud at once. The roar of voices was
overwhelming. Each had on the usual
blue Arab single garment and turban
white, red or green Not bench, chair
table, or utensil was visible, except the
peculiar reed pen used for writing Arabic,
in the hands of few who were writing
paths at random permitted us to thread
our way amongst these astonishing stu
dents, our dragoman assuring us that
they must sit thus and study from till
II and from to daily except on Fri
days. While there, noon came and some
30 OF them, headed by the professor, sprang
from the ground. formed line, turned
their faces toward Mecca and began their
prostrations, touching the ground with
their foreheads in concert of movement,
rising again and again, repeating the de.
vot:onal gestures, and uttering loud pray
ers and salutations to Allah [Godl at the
same time. This done, all the students
were to dine. Each spread on the ground
small cloth which he had had in his
bosom from 9 o'clock, and rs he did so,
disclosed few hard brown cakes, that
looked dirty and greasy. The whole com
pany laid their books on the ground and
still sitting made their dinner on these
cakes, each from his own supply. This
took about 20 minutes, after which each
returned to his loud study independently
as before. Such sight and such noise
beggars description. Rags and tatters
were as common as whole garments on
these poor barefoot students. At the east
side of the court is the old mosque, long
called the university 1t was simply 10
rows OF pillars, about IL feet apart each